Mine car safety device



Jan. 16, 1951 E. H. SMITH 2,538,477

MINE CAR SAFETY DEVICE Filed Sept. 25, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 sol v l L i l i; 3. w 26 2 J F i o I 44 42 f 'I I 15%; 34 I I Tm 28 7 i g I I 1'- /2 30 W... H IHIIHHHI! 1m.

Filed Sept. 23, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 i H! I 1 "Waqi n H *1 III g 28 My F193 3 62 26 30 30 Jan. 16,1951 5, SMITH 2,538,477

MINE CAR SAFETY DEVICE Jan. 16, 1951 E. H. SMITH MINE CAR SAFETY DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 23, 1949 Earl H. Smith INVENTOR.

Patented Jan. 16, 1951 iUNiiL'IFEiD i STAES MINE CAR SAFETY DEVICE Earlfi. Smith, Royaltomlll.

Application September 23, 1949, Serial N0i'117,456

(cuss-44) 7 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in mine 'carszand the primary object of'thepresentinvention is to provide a mine .car

atta hment to .be used in. conjunction with the towing means with a mine car so thatzthemine car will be held against backward movement as the towing means become slack or detached'from the mine car as the latter is moving up grade.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide amine car safety device including pairs of rail gripping member that will always underlie the -balls of the rails for a mine car so as to prevent lifting of either the forward or rear ends of mine car relative to its supporting rails.

A further object of the present invention isto provide a mine car safety device including an operating linkage for moving pairs of railgripping members into or-out of clamping engagement with rails, a means for preventing actuation of the linkage when the mine car is traveling on "relatively flat, horizontal track, and a rail attachment for actuating said means to block the operation of the linkage as the car approaches a horizontal track but which will also actuate said'- -means-to permit operation of the linkage should I a car-move'rearwardly upon a horizontal track "and toward a downwardly sloping track section.

Astill further aim of the present invention is toprovideamine car safety device of the afore- "mentioned character that is simple and practical in construction; strong and reliable in use small and compact in-structure, efficient and durable inoperation; relatively inexpensive tomanufac- "-ture, and otherwise well adapted for'the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects andadvantages reside in the'de- Y. tails "of construction and operation as moref-ully hereinafter described and claimed, reference-being had. to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof wherein like: ni merals' refer to'like partsthroughoutand in which- "Figure 1 is a" fragmentary top plan viewof a mine car and showing the-present invention ap plied thereon;

Fi ure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view takensubstantially on the planeof; section "line '2-2 of Figure l 7 "Figures 3 is an end view .taken substantially in vthe direction of ,arrowrnumbered' 3 in; Figure 1;

"Figure 4' is an enlarged sectional view of Fig-- ,.ure 3 and taken s bstantiany on theplane'of section line.44 of'Figure 3;

i ure 515. .v verticalsectional view showin a mine car approaching a horizontal track-section from a'isloping traiclcsection and illustratingg'the linkage stop members andthe operatortherefor; EFigure 6 isgan enlarged detail'sectional view "showing the looking or holding means :for the linkage stop member; and

Figure izisa-plan'zview of aitrack section that is movable to a position, shown dotted lines,

to permit the present invention. tobe engaged with therails for a mine car.

Referring now to the drawings in detaiLwhereinfor thepurpose ofillustration, there isdisclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the numeral; represents a minecar that is movable on rails i2. Brackets or ears'i i depend from the forward end portionof the car it and support a shaft !5 that extends through the leg portions of a, preferably angle iron, U- shaped frame member it. The web portion'of the U-shaped frame it is disposed between the car it! and. the leg portions of the frame iii are suitably fixed between a pair of spaced parallel transverse plates or beams is.

Inner and outer pairs of vertical pins or rods v 2% and 22 are journaled for rotationin suitable openings provided in the beams i3 and support circular rail gripping members 24 at their lower ends.

2-4 are toothed to effectively grip a rail and the The-outer circular edges of the members -upper and lower faces, of the members slope toward each other diametrically so that the members 26 will be wedge shaped in cross section as shown in Figure 5.

'The membersZd are constructed from an espe- V cially high grade of metal to'increase the durability and strength of the same. 'The members 24 are so positioned that their parts having the greatest thickness will engage the rails due to their eccentric mounting on the rods 29 and 22.

An operating linkage is associatedwith the rods 2!; and 22 to move the members 24 into or out of clamping engagement with therails. This linkage comprises a pair of arms 26 and. '28 that are pivoted adjacenttheir'rear ends to the upper ends of the inner pair of rods 25! and 22.

Links ware fixed-to and project laterally from the upper-ends of the outer pair of rods 22 and are connected to'the rear ends of the arms 26 and 28 by pitmans 32' so that as the forwardends 0f thearms 25 and 28 are moved rearwardly the rods 2!! and 22 will rotate to move. the members 2 5 into clamping engagement with the rails whereas a; forward movement of the forward'ends 0f the arms '25 and 2E! will rotate therods wand 22 to move the members-2t vout of clamping en gagement with the rails.

The forward ends of the arms26, 28 are pivotally secured to the forward bifurcated ends '34 of a pair of rods 36. The rear ends of the rods 36 are connected by a plate or bar 3-8 that engages the forward end of an elongated resilient member or coil spring 46. The rear end of the coil spring 40 is adjustably secured to the web portion of the frame member l6 and the coil spring 4!] yieldingly urges the rods 36 and the forward ends of the arms 26, 28 rearwardly to force the members 24 into clampingengagement with the rails.

Between the beams 18, and disposed transversely of the beamsand intermediate the ends of the beams, there is fixed a tubular guide 42 that slidably receives a towing means or rope 44, the latter being secured to the plate 38.

Attention is directed to Figure '7, wherein there is disclosed the manner in which the present invention is applied to the rails 52. The tracks are composed of two rails or rail sections 46 and 48 that are pivoted, as at 59, and which sections are connected by a cross member 52. A pull or the cross member 52 will pivot the sections outwardly to permit members 2d to be slid under the balls of the rails !2. This operation is necessary since the members 24 are to underlie the balls of the rails at all times regardless as to whether or not the members 2d are engaged with the surface of rails so as to prevent the forward end of the car it from rising relative to the rails. Means is provided to prevent movement of the linkage 2E, 22, 3E, 32 and thereby restricting the rotation of the rods 28, 22. This means consists of a pair of vertically slidable stop members 54 each of which includes a shank or bar 55 and a beveled disk 58 that is suitably fixed to the lower end of the bar 55. The shanks 56 are slidably received in openings 59 in te beams is and are further received in guide sleeves 62 fixed between the beams 58. The stop members 54 are positioned so as to prevent rearward swinging movement of the forward ends of the arms 26, 28.

A holding or locking means is associated with each of the members to hold the same in either a raised or lowered position. This holding means consists of a hollow bolts 54 threaded on the sleeve 62. Springs 56 housed in the interior of the bolts 6'3 urge locking balls 68 into either upper openings iii or lower openings 12 provided in the shanks '56. Q

The stop members 54 are required since when the i9 is pulled along a flat or horizontal track, slack develops in the rope 44 which wouldtend to actuate the operating linkage for the member 24. Therefore, when the members 54 are held raised, the locking balls 88 in the recesses '52, the arms 2%, 28 are prevented from moving to rotate the members 24; to their rail gripping position.

An operating means for the stop members 54 are provided so that as the car moves from an up slope to a horizontal track, as shown in Fig- 1 e 5. the stop members 54 will be raised to make operating linkage for the members 24 inopera- :lve. This latest means comprisesa pair of rail attachments or brackets '54 that are secured to the rails i2, and more particularly at the beginning of a flat or horizontal track section. The

brackets is include forwardly and upwardly inclined, resilient, arms upon which the disks 58 tentional rearward movement of the car It], after where the linkage 26, 28, 30, 32 can actuate the members 24 to their rail gripping position.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings it is believed that a clear understanding of the operation, construction and advantages of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

t is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of the appended claims.

Obviously, the outer peripheral edges of the gripping members or cams 24 may be smooth or provided with ciroumferentially spaced gripping teeth in order to increase the eificiency of the members 24 in gripping the surface of the rails.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. A mine car safety device comprising pairs of rail gripping members, an operating linkage for selectively urging said members into and out of clamping engagement with a rail, a pull'rope connected to said linkage and urging said members out of clamping engagement with a rail upon a pull of the rope, means yieldingly urging said members into clamping engagement with a rail, and a means for preventing actuation of the linkage when a mine car is disposed on a relatively fiat track section and there is slacl: in the rope. V

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said means for preventing actuation of the linkage in-- cludes a vertically movable stop member, and a rail attachment for slidably engaging the stop member to direct the latter to a position for blocking movement of said linkage.

The combination of claim 2 wherein said rail attachment is an elongated resilient arm having first and second portions, the first end portion of said arm engaging and urging said stop member to a position for blocking movement of said linkage upon movement of the car in'one direction and the second end portion of said arm urging the stop member to a position topermit actuation of said linkage upon movement of the car in an opposite direction.

4. Ina mine car, a safety attachment for the mine 'car to prevent rearward movement of the car on its rails, said attachment comprising first and second pairs of rail gripping members, an operating linkage for selectively urging the members into and out of clamping engagement with the rails for the car, a towing means for the car, said towing means being connected to the linkage for urging the members out of clamping .tioned means.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said means for preventing operation of said linkage includes a vertically slidable stop member, said means for selectively holding the stop member in a raised position for blocking operation of the linkage and a lowered position permitting operation of the linkageL 6. The combination; of claim 5 wherein said means for holding the stop member in a raised or lowered position includes a spring urged. locking ball, said stop member having upper and lower recesses for selectivelyreceiving said locking ball.

'7. The combination of claim 4 wherein said means connected to the linkage for forcing the members into clamping engagement with the rails for the car includes rods connected to said linkage, a bar connecting said rods, and a spring member secured to said bar and urging said bar 15 and said rods to a position for moving the linkage and forcing the pairs of members into clamping engagement with the rails for the car.

EARL H. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent;

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 328,098 Wilcox Oct. 13, 1885 425,226 Henne Apr. 8, 1890 2,297,589 Tackett Sept. 29, 1942 

